We still don't know who is joining Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, but a new theory has an intriguing idea about which classic story director Shane Black might be adapting... and which famous Marvel character might be the villain.

Plus lots of hints for Fringe, The River, The Vampire Diaries, and Russell T. Davies's new show Aliens vs. Wizards!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from The Hobbit.

Man of Steel

This is just coming from a cast listing IMDB, so massive grains of salt all around, but young actor Robert Gerdisch has reportedly been cast as a character called Whitney Fordham. The character may or may not be based on the Smallville character Whitney Fordman, who was Lana Lang's boyfriend. There are also unconfirmed reports that Jack Foley has been cast as a 13-year-old Pete Ross, Superman's childhood best friend. [Superman Supersite]

Iron Man 3

This sounds like a pretty classic case of adding two and two together to get a thousand, but there's a new theory that the villain of the latest Iron Man film will be Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. The main pieces of evidence appear to be the fact that the movie's North Carolina filming studios have a giant water tank, that there were maybe some very minor Atlantis-related Easter Eggs in Iron Man 2, and that it's been speculated — I'm not even sure I'd say it's been rumored — that the movie will adapt the classic "Demon in a Bottle" story, which features Namor. Honestly, it's all pretty shaky, and it seems to fly right in the face of director Shane Black's repeated statements that this will be a grittier, more grounded take on Iron Man, which seems to preclude a mutant, Atlantean villain. The one heavily qualified thing that I will grant is that the basic idea of Namor showing up in a Marvel movie, perhaps even initially as a villain, is far from impossible. However, I wouldn't say this is the argument that even remotely proves that's going to happen. Of course, you can judge for yourself at the link. [ComicBook.com]

The Amazing Spider-Man

Sony is planning on holding special sneak peek events for the movie — and it's rumored that new footage will be featured — on February 6 in the cities of Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, New York City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Seoul, Sydney, and Tokyo. It's being advertised as "The Untold Story Begins", so they're apparently going pretty hard with the whole "this Spider-Man movie isn't a completely redundant reboot" angle. There's more info at the link. [The Untold Story Begins]

Star Trek 2

When asked to lie about the Star Trek sequel, Uhura actress Zoe Saldana offered this fibs:

It's going to be boring. There's no conflict between Kirk and Spock, they agree on everything! They're beer buddies. And there are no bad guys. We're just cruising in space.

Since it sounds like she's saying the opposite of the truth in general, it looks like Kirk and Spock won't be totally over their conflicts from the first movie. [The Playlist]

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Here's a ton of promo photos for the new Ghost Rider movie from Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and America's greatest living acting madman, Nicolas Cage. You can check out some more at the link. [Coming Soon]

Fantastic Four Reboot

Chronicle director Josh Trank is being reported as the number one choice to take on Fox's reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. This is news to at least one person — specifically, Chronicle director Josh Trank:

"I know as much as you guys know. I'm totally serious. I know as much as you. I saw that leak online and I was like, 'Um, okay, I'm trying to finish Chronicle right now.' This is weird. There's nothing to say, Chronicle is exactly the kind of superhero movie that I wanted to make and, going forward, I want to have some original ideas and different things I'm working on."

This could all be a smokescreen, of course, but the fact that he has pretty much completely ruled out the possibility of directing a Fantastic Four movie makes that seem relatively unlikely. [Superhero Hype]

The Hobbit

Here's another promo photo of Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions. Specifically, that's William Kircher as Bifur, Graham McTavish as Dwalin, James Nesbitt as Bofur, and John Callen as Óin, plus Martin Freeman as Bilbo. [Coming Soon]

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Scott Pilgrim's Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, discusses this vampire-killing take on the Great Emancipator. She calls it "a very unique take" on the Lincoln story, which, gee, ya think? Anyway, here's how Mary Todd fits in:

"I'm kind of on the sidelines, but I'm very suspicious of my husband's [actions] and what's going on in his life. I know that he's hiding something from me. You sort of see me piecing things together."

She also echoes what the other cast members have been saying, which is that this movie is going to look like nothing we've seen before:

"I honestly have no idea what to expect, even though I'm in the movie. It's really hard to promote in a way because I haven't seen it, but I know it's going to be just mind-blowing. It's not something I can really visualize myself, because it's so unique to him visually."

Paradise Lost

The Hangover's Bradley Cooper, who is set to play Lucifer in Alex Proyas's adaptation of John Milton's legendary poem, says the project is still happening, despite reports that Warner Bros. recently decided to halt production due to budgetary concerns:

"We're going to hopefully start in June. Everything's going great. I mean, nothing's done until we're up and shooting."

Rarely has a final sentence so skillfully undercut the two preceding it, but still — the movie is back on. Probably. [The Playlist]

Lock-Out

Here's another trailer for this movie, in which Memento's Guy Pearce, wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn't commit, has to save the president's daughter from an inmate riot in a space prison. Also, Fargo's Peter Stormare is in it. Goodness, there is nothing about those sentences I don't like.

Fringe

Here's a promo and a sneak peek for episode eleven, "Making Angels", which airs this Friday.

THE FRINGE TEAM GETS TRAPPED - As the Fringe team investigates a mentally ill patient who appears to be connected to a series of murders, frightening clues and connections are uncovered that lead Olivia to some shocking revelations.

Torchwood

According to a new interview with creator Russell T. Davies, the show has most likely come to an end. [The Guardian]

For what it's worth, star Eve Myles is still sort of hopeful there will be a movie:

"Nothing's going to happen in 2012, I know that much for sure. But who knows what will happen in 2013? Maybe a movie, to kinda draw a line under it. We've got such an outstanding loyal fan base. They deserve Torchwood to go ahead with something else to draw a line under it, for the fans to have a bit of closure."

Alcatraz

Here's the description for the sixth episode, "Paxton Petty", which airs February 13:

A CONVICTED BOMBER REAPPEARS - When our unlikely trio tracks former inmate Paxton Petty (James Pizzinato), a sick landmine bomber who has returned only to place bombs throughout populated areas of San Francisco, methods of the past are applied to the present.

Person of Interest

Here's the promo for episode thirteen, "Root Cause", which airs this Thursday.

Friday Night Lights actor Matt Lauria will reportedly guest star in episode sixteen as the latest person of interest, described as "a sharp, young trader at a major investment bank." [TV Line]

The River

Here's the official description for the third episode, "Los Ciegos", of Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli's supernatural found footage series. It airs on February 14, because when I think unimaginable horror, my first thought is "Valentine's Day." You know, that started as a joke, but now that I think about it...

When the whole crew of the Magus goes blind due to spores from a tree, lone holdout AJ will have to overcome his most paralyzing fear to find a cure before the blindness becomes permanent. Meanwhile, the local Morcego tribe stalks the crew and judges whether they are worthy to stay in the jungle. If they are deemed unworthy, the consequences could be fatal.

Here are two casting calls for episode four, "Undiscovered Countries":

[FARMER] In his 40s, Latino, with a great character face, he is smiling, friendly man, used to the white folks who visit the area. He later comes to a terrible end when the river is covered by a swarm of cockroaches. Co-star. (1) MUST SPEAK SPANISH

[TRIBAL ELDERS] In their 70s - 80s, these African tribesmen perform a death ritual for one of their fellow elders at his funeral. The tone of the funeral is sadly beautiful. Co-stars. No lines, 2 scenes. (15)

And here's a couple of casting calls for episode five, the rather non-terrifyingly titled "Peaches":

[RUSS LANDRY] Male, Caucasian, Late 40s to Early 50s. One of the last cowboys. Gruff. Adventurous. Weathered. Stoic. Solid. More comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, not the showman that Emmet (Bruce Greenwood) is. The kind of guy you want watching your back. But emotions aren't his forte. He says more in his silence than he does with words. More comfortable around a campfire, than the living room sofa. The father of Lena (Eloise Mumford), he is devoted to his daughter but has sacrificed his life for his adventure on the Amazon as Emmet Cole's cameraman. Guest star. Two episode arc.

[PATRICK] 50s, "Jimmy Buffett with biceps," a bit of a hippie (could have long hair), happy-go-lucky, affable, peaceful, we immediately trust him. Patrick is the leader of a small crew of eco-activists roaming the Amazon on their boat, the Exodus, to take on some of the illegal logging vessels that have been encroaching on the rainforest. Patrick and his three comrades meet up with the injured Magus, promising help and some much-needed outside companionship for the troubled Magus group. Unfortunately, Patrick is not what he seems to be, and his genial bonhomie conceals an other-worldly menace. Guest star. (17)

Aliens vs. Wizards

"Magic and science fiction are never combined. For example, the only thing that could make Harry Potter better, in my view, would be if a big spaceship arrives at the door of Hogwarts, but it never does. It does in ours, in episode one."

Here's some additional info on the show from The Guardian's article:

The new drama [focuses] on two 16-year-olds, Tom and Benny, one secretly in possession of magical powers, the other a super-bright scientific brain, who does not believe in magic. They combine their skills to battle a tribe of aliens, called the Nekross, to save the world. From the dark side of the moon, the Nekross set up a base to scan the earth, looking for magical skills to buttress their power and, naturally, destroying anything that stands in their way.The idea was quickly turned into a first script, then an order for 26 episodes. At the core is an ideological clash as the two boys argue over the separate worlds of magic and science, such as the existence of spells versus, say, laser technology.